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Former 'Sex and the City' stand-in alleges Chris Noth's on-set behaviour was 'toxic'

Chris Noth (Image Source: Instagram)
Chris Noth (Image Source: Instagram)

Washington [US], December 24 (ANI): A former stand-in actor on HBO's 'Sex and the City' has spoken out about her alleged experience with Chris Noth.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Heather Kristin, a former stand-in for Kristin Davis, has revisited her viral February 2021 essay for a leading news outlet following the allegations against Noth.

In the original essay, titled, "I was Charlotte's stand-in on 'Sex and the City'. Some of the behaviour I saw still shocks me," Kristin, who says she stood in for Davis' Charlotte for four seasons on the original HBO series, wrote about an "alpha male actor" who made an offensive comment about a fellow stand-in.

In an update to that column published on Thursday, Kristin has named that actor as Noth, writing, "I remember his toxic behaviour all too vividly."

Kristin wrote, "The first time the 'alpha male' actor slid his hand down my back and over my butt, I flinched. I was in my mid-20s and had worked as an extra on movie sets for over a decade; I had never been manhandled. 'That's your spot, sweetie,' Noth said, inching even closer."

She says she did her best to stay out of his path following the interaction: "My gut said to quit that first day. Instead, I stayed too long, like staying in a bad relationship for far too many years, hoping I'd persevere and land my big break."

About a year later, Kristin alleges Noth pointed to the stand-in for Cynthia Nixon's Miranda and said, "I want that one tied up, gagged and brought to my trailer," She writes, "When he got near me, I balled up my fists, squared my shoulders and said, 'This is my and her space.'

He backed up, dramatically putting his hands up in the air and said, 'Whoa, there, little lady!' He didn't even know my name. I clenched my jaw and didn't respond. The crew laughed. But I had had enough; I finally stood up for myself and for the other stand-in."

On December 16, two women had alleged that they were sexually assaulted by Noth. Zoe and Lily, who do not know each other and who used pseudonyms for the story, approached THR separately and months apart with their stories, each decided to come forward after being triggered by Noth starring in the revival of the iconic series with HBO Max's And 'Just Like That' reboot, which killed off Noth's Mr Big character in its first episode.

Noth, who has denied the allegations, was swiftly dropped by his agency and other show, CBS' 'The Equalizer', following the story. Peloton also pulled a viral ad it had created with Noth and Ryan Reynolds following Mr Big's death. Stars Sarah Jessica Parker, Nixon and Davis have also since supported the women who came forward in a joint statement.

"When Mr Big, the character played by Chris Noth, died in the first episode of the 'SATC' reboot 'And Just Like That', I felt relief. I'm sure the three women [a third woman came forward to the Daily Beast] who have come forward in the last week with allegations of sexual assault against Noth felt the same," wrote Kristin in her updated essay on Thursday.

Kristin also claims that, following the publication of her original essay, she was met with silence by the 'And Just Like That' casting director when she reached out about returning as a stand-in for the reboot. "I found myself wondering whether I was being blacklisted for speaking out," she says, questioning his demise onscreen. "Was Big killed off in the first episode because the producers knew of his troubles?"

A rep for Noth has denied the allegations, telling THR, "Now that everyone is piling onto Chris Noth, the timing is unquestionably convenient to drag him into her 'recollection' of events. Chris denies these allegations and there's never been a single complaint or report about him acting inappropriately on the set of 'Sex and the City'."

Big's death was reportedly a big plot point in the third 'SATC' film, which never made it to the screen. In a 2018 'Sex and the City' chapter for James Andrew Miller's Origins podcast, the host reported that Big was set to die "relatively early" in the film of a heart attack in the shower, per the screenplay.

At the time, Miller said the narrative of Big's death and its focus on Carrie Bradshaw (Parker) made Kim Cattrall, who was responsible for the third film never getting off the ground, uninterested in reprising her role of Samantha Jones.

'And Just Like That' showrunner Michael Patrick King recently told a news outlet that Big's death was the "origin story" of the reboot. "Nobody wanted to come back if [the show] was not going to be different. The more [Noth and Patrick King] talked about it, the more he understood that it was for Carrie -- and Carrie's storyline is, it's better to have loved and lost than never have loved at all," he said, as per The Hollywood Reporter. (ANI)